A storm is coming
by bitterkis95
Summary: Selina's thirst for a new beginning leads her to the wrong person. A storm will enter her life and will change and mold her. Bane/Catwoman, slight Batman/Catwoman but mainly Bane/Catwoman. Please read A/N.
1. Chapter 1

**Please read**

 **A/N Update**

 **A did a drawing based on the first chapter of my story hope you enjoy! (the link is on my profile)**

 **A/N**

 **This takes place in TDKR, it's not fully based on it, some details are changed including Selina Kyle's eye color, which in the movie are brown but I prefer keeping more to Catwoman's classic green eyes with the appearance of Anne Hathaway. I've decided to write this story because this fandom is too small, seeing as the couple isn't canon (then again I've never liked canon couples). I'm not sure if there are any Bane/Catwoman fans left so I'm not expecting a big review. I would like some feedback just to see if it's worth posting other chapters (to see if anyone is going to read the story).**

 **For now I will rate it T, but I'll change the rating to M later on for adult content. Excuse me if a have any grammar errors, English is not my native language and I might get a BETA reader later if the story get's enough feedback.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter One

Her clear green eyes scanned the area below her. She was crouching at the edge of a building with one hand on the ground supporting her weight. Gotham's wealthiest were throwing yet another glamorous charity party and that provided Selina Kyle with the perfect opportunity. Nothing, rather no one in particular had caught her eye yet. Well at least not until a matte black Lamborghini Aventador parked in front of the red carpet. Selina glanced at the luxurious vehicle but once the owner of the car stepped out her eyes widened in amusement.

"Well, well what do we have here…" She stood up from the building with her eyes locked on the man who was walking past the paparazzi, whose cameras suddenly stopped flashing.

"If it isn't Bruce Wayne himself, what an entrance, fitting for an arrogant billionaire playboy." She said to herself mockingly. Bruce quickly entered the building and that was Selina's queue.

"Kitty's going to play tonight." Her red stained lips curved in to a sly smirk.

After changing from her cat suit to a more proper attire, she entered the charity event and looked around for her prey. She was wearing a long black backless dress, with long sleeves, that hugged her upper body tightly down to below her hips, where the fabric became a bit looser. The stolen pearl necklace defined her long neck and her hair was carefully placed in a messy low bun with a slight tease. She was sporting her trademark red lips and dramatically winged eyeliner that defines her fierce glimmering emerald eyes. She soon spotted her prey and with a quick catwalk she approached him.

"You sure know how to make a memorable entrance after 8 years Mr. Wayne." He slowly turned to her with a glass of bubbly champagne in his hand. He gazed down at her and put the glass away on the nearest plate.

"Ah Miss Kyle...I do believe those pearls look better on you than in my safe." He smiled at her. "Shall we dance?" He extended his hand to her and she took it. He put his other hand on her lower back and she put hers on his chest as they danced on the slow tune. "But that doesn't change the fact that you have to give them back." At the Selina made a sweet pout with her lips but quickly returned to her playful smile.

"Oh you want them back..? Too bad." She smirked slightly nearing her lips to his ear in an almost whisper. "I've gotten very fond of them. And you said it yourself, they do suit me better." She backed a step away but was quickly pulled tightly back to him with their faces only inches apart. She parted her lips in surprise but then smiled slyly again. "Now, now, don't be so eager Mr. Wayne." She put her index finger on his lips. Her eyes were half-closed and her face was slightly lifted towards his. He glanced down at her and leaned in as her finger was soon replaced by her lips. A moment later she pulled away quickly just as the kiss got to its sweetest point. She smirked seductively at him and walked passed him leaving him with an amused look on his face. Once she stepped outside she pulled out the car key and the fingerprint she stole and glanced at them.

"Guess you're going to have to call a cab Mr. Wayne." She smirked to herself as she walked by the expensive car and afterwards drove off with screeching tires.

Selina stared at the fingerprint flipping it from side to side while sitting on her bed with her back leaned on her pillows.

"Who knew my ticket to freedom is so small." She mumbled to herself and put the fingerprint away. She stood up from her bed and slipped out of her black dress. She walked to the bathroom and looked at her bare reflection.

"Tomorrow everything changes." She ran her fingers on the pearl necklace and gently took it off and placed it on one of the shelves. She went back in the bathroom and took a quick steamy shower and afterwards went straight to bed. Jen, her roommate, was already asleep in the next room. Her quiet snores made Selina laugh quietly to herself but also calmed her that her friend was okay. It didn't take long before she also drifted to sleep.

The next day went too quickly for Selina. She had a meet up with John Daggett, the man who promised her the program that erased anyone's identity in exchange of Bruce Wayne's fingerprint. Oh how things went so horribly wrong.

Selina was ready to beat the living hell out of him after he claimed that the program doesn't even exist. She was glaring down at him furiously with her boot pinned on his neck when she heard a voice that made the hair on the back of her neck straighten.

"Selina Kyle. There is no use in letting your anger on him." She slowly turned her head around with her eyes wide. Behind her stood a man. He was at least a head taller than her and his body was intimidatingly huge. But that wasn't the thing that made her skin bristle. He wore a metal grey mask that almost covered his whole face except for his hazel eyes which were locked on to hers. The mask was black with metal tubes all over it that resembled a lot to animal like fangs.

Selina took a brief breath to redeem her composer. Fear wasn't inherent to her but his appearance definitely intimidated her. But she wasn't going to show it. She had to keep calm.

"Bane," she spoke his name. She knew who he was. Everyone on the street was spreading rumors about him, how he lived in the underground caverns of Gotham. They did talk about his appearance but Selina always thought that they were exaggerating. Instead, it looked like they were compressing. "And why would you want Bruce Wayne's fingerprint?" She pulled her leg off of Daggett's neck and turned completely to Bane. She had never seen a man like him.

"That does not concern you Miss Kyle." He was holding the straps of his vest looking down at her loftily. "But you did manage to make it easier for me by coming here." He inched closer to her but Selina fought the urge to back away. Instead she stepped forward to him.

"How's that?" Her eyes never left his. The mask he wore made it hard to read him since his lips and nose were completely covered by it. But his eyes expressed enough.

"You've helped me kill two birds with one stone, my dear." The wrinkles near his eyes became visible from the light squint. It almost looked like he smiled under the mask.

"Really? And how exactly did I help you with that?" She stopped a few feet from him and placed her hands on her hips to back up her question.

"You see, Miss Kyle," he stopped right in front of her, penetrating her personal space standing only inches away from her. "I require your assistance." He made it sound like she had a choice. It was so untypical. A man of his size, and impressing physique he talked so politely and calmly. His tone almost sounded friendly.

"And what if I refuse?" Selina lifted a brow at him but her confidence quickly dropped at her feet when she felt his huge hand seize her petite neck. She let out a gasp escape her lips and immediately started trying to pull away his hand from her neck.

"You misunderstood me my dear," his grip was firm, but at the same time not tight enough to choke her. "You think you have a choice?" He laughed loudly in her face as she was clenching her teeth pulling on his hand.

"I always have a choice!" She growled at him. That made him smirk under his mask as he ran his thumb under her chin making her lift her head to look up at him again.

"Very courageous." He pulled her swiftly by her neck pinning her against his rock hard body. "But that changes nothing." She squint her eyes at him feeling the hot breath escaping his mask and not to mention his whole body. "You will bring the Batman to me, otherwise you and those who you hold close will suffer something worse than hell." His voice became deeper and darker and so did his eyes. The next moment Selina was thrown at the wall behind her, her back making a loud and painful sound. She grunted painfully trying to stand up. "You have one day Miss Kyle." He turned his back to her and walked over to Daggett who was trying to escape but Bane grabbed him by the neck. "Your assistance is no longer needed Mister Daggett." Daggett went wide eyed and was about to say something but Bane already crushed his neck with a single squeeze. Selina watched gaped while holding her neck as Bane calmly left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Thank you for the reviews, I honestly didn't expect any, I appreciate positive and criticizing comments as long as I get feedback and a chance to improve myself! I do want to explain that this story will not contain cruelty and abuse (thought there are many great stories about Bane and Catwoman which contain that) but I'm not aiming for such a dark impact. Occasional violence, yes, because it is a big part of Bane's complex character, but again, nothing too much, nothing too dark.**

 **Again, I'd appreciate more feedback from my readers so I can see whether the story is liked or not and if it has any flaws that I need to fix.**

* * *

Chapter Two

Once Selina returned to her apartment she slumped on to her bed tiredly. She desperately needed a shower. Again.

With a deep sigh she took off her boots and slipped out of her leather cat-suit. God, how her back ached. She rubbed it with her hand gently and walked over to the bathroom. She glanced at her reflection and particularly at her neck. Good, there were no marks. Then she turned a side to see her back. It was already red with a light bluish tint. She cursed silently and looked at the shower and then at the tub. Hell, she deserved a nice hot bubble bath. She turned on the water as the bath slowly began filling. While waiting, she searched the drawers for her favorite bath salts. After a bit of scattering, she finally found them and dipped them in the rising water. She tied her hair in to a high up do and reached for the handle to push it down to stop the water. She slowly stepped in to the bath and hissed silently from the burning sensation. With a bit of hesitation she lowered her body on to the tub. A slight whimper escaped her lips when her bruised back touched the surface of the bathtub. She shifted around in to a laying position and once she found a not so painful position, she tilted her head aback and took in a deep breath of the coconut oil scent of the bath salts.

She did not want to think about anything or anyone. Not about the Clean Slate, not about Bruce Wayne, not about the Batman. And especially not about Bane. Her brows furrowed. She got herself in quite the mess this time. She never had problems beating low life delinquents. Hell, she never had a problem beating mobsters or any other men who had wicked intentions towards her. And yet she managed to meet the only man, beast, who could easily bring her down to her knees (forcibly).

"Damn it," she cursed to herself as she lifted herself up from the bathtub. She couldn't relax. Her body refused to loosen up after the alert it acknowledged. She couldn't let her guard down.

She stepped out of the tub and pulled the cork. She glanced at the now sinking water. She couldn't help but feel the irony. She was sinking in the same way.

She shrugged her head and turned to the shower to wash away with cool water. She couldn't relax properly but at least her body felt lighter.

After drying herself she scooped in to her bed and with another deep sigh she closed her eyes and let herself drift asleep.

* * *

On the next day Selina walked through the streets of Gotham. She occasionally glanced around thoughtfully. How was she even supposed to contact Batman? It's been years since anyone has seen him, and yet, recently he made an appearance. She clenched her fists as she stopped. Well, if she didn't find him, she wasn't going down without a fight. Or at least an escape plan.

The sky made a deep rumbling sound as the dark clouds devoured the blue welkin. A storm was coming. Selina paid no attention to the weather. She continued on her stroll and then suddenly stopped. Something caught her eye. She quickly turned her attention to the glass showcase on her left.

"My, my...What a beauty." Her lips curved in to a satisfied smirk. In front of her, behind the showcase, stood a black jewelry holder. On it, there was a massive diamond necklace, with so many gems which took in a V shape, and in the middle there was a big, tear drop shaped, deep green diamond. Selina bit her bottom lip. "This gives me quite the idea…2 birds, one stone."

* * *

Later that night a black shadow crept through the night. Her sleek figure slid through the vent shaft and with a swift kick with the heels of her boots, the opening shaft stumbled down on the floor loudly. Normally, Selina wouldn't have never made such an amateur mistake, but now it was on purpose. A silent alarm started flashing in alert from the noise as she jumped down on the floor, landing on her feet in a squat. She stood up and walked calmly to the jewel that caught her interest earlier. She kicked the glass showcase with her metal heel and it shattered to pieces.

"This couldn't be any easier." She chuckled snatching the necklace with her hand but as if on cue, it was snatched out of he hands by a black batarang. She couldn't help but gasp and quickly turn around.

"I hope you know, Miss Kyle, it's not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us."

She heard a raspy deep voice behind her and couldn't help but smirk. "Oh? I expected a bit harsher treatment from the dark knight himself." She lunged herself at him but he quickly blocked and pinned her with her back against him.

"I'll do everything I can to rehabilitate you." He narrowed his dark eyes at her.

"Marry me." She purred out as he lifted both brows taken in surprise which gave Selina the perfect opportunity to kick him aback.

"Everything except that." He growled at her as she snatched the necklace back and jumped into the vent shaft.

"Oh and…Bane sends you his regards." She smirked as she climbed up into the shaft as his eyes widened slightly. He quickly ran up to stairs after her. When she climbed out at the top of the vent she was quickly intercepted by the man in a black suit.

"What do you know about Bane?" He pulled her out of the vent.

"Not much…He's not a really big fan of yours." She chuckled gazing at him with a hint of complacency.

"Take me to him." He let go of her and attempted to take the necklace back but she pulled it away.

"Only if you let me keep this." She smiled playfully at him but he reached his hand out to her looking at her with disapproval. She let out a sigh, and with a pout, give it back to him. "You are no fun."

"Justice has no time for fun." He then put the necklace away in a pouch and slid it down the shaft as it landed directly on the store's floor. "Now take me to him."

"If you insist…" She glanced at him with a slight hint of concern which she quickly hid away as she turned around.

* * *

"They're coming." Barsad entered Bane's room holding his weapon near his vest full with bullets.

"Excellent." Bane was sitting, feet apart with his hands resting on his knees while his bare back faced Barsad. "Bring me my vest Barsad." He slowly rose to his feet and looked ahead.

"And your weapons?" Barsad turned to get his vest.

"No, I have no need for them in order to crush the Batman." Bane clenched his massive fists and turned to take his vest.

* * *

 **This chapter was a bit more concentrated around Selina and her attitude towards Batman, I really wanted to think out of the box, since I feel like the Batman/Selina connection in TDKR was kind of hectic and not very detailed. I personally like the whole tease and constant cat and mouse chase between the two in the cartoon series so I decided to add some here. And besides, Selina has always been a flirt, it's not necessary that there would be romance between the two characters. Like I said before, the story is about Bane and Catwoman so don't worry there will be more development around them in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Thank you for the support, every review motivates me to write another chapter faster (even thought I have sooo many exams and course work to do, procrastination FTW!) This chapter is longer, I felt inspired and I personally like this one the best so far. I hope you like it and I can't wait to read your thoughts about it!**

* * *

Chapter Three

Once Selina and Batman arrived at the sewers, Selina couldn't help but feel somewhat sick in her stomach. As if something bad was going to happen. And she was right. Bane trapped Batman and Selina could only stare at him.

"Nothing personal." she stared blankly, trying to push the hints of guilt away. She stepped away from the bars looking at both men. One looked somewhat surprised, but she couldn't find any traces of betrayal in his eyes. Only forgiveness. It made her stomach twist. While the other looked at her with content and she swore she saw that same wrinkle around his eyes. He almost looked satisfied with her.

"It didn't take much convincing, and I needn't use much force." He stepped out of the shadows revealing himself. His hands remained on the straps of his vest, it looked like that was his signature position. He was probably double the size of Bruce. "I honestly expected her to run, but I was pleasantly surprised. She still may be of use to me." Was he gloating? Or was he trying to make Bruce feel betrayed. Or maybe both. "Unlike you Mr. Wayne." he stood calmly in front of him but the tension between them was so heavy that it probably could be felt miles away. His gaze turned to the bars.

She didn't know why she was still standing there. She knew what was about to happen to Bruce, but Bane's words shone a bit of light to her own situation. He still had plans for her. Once she caught his gaze on her, she felt like that was her cue. She stepped back and then turned to leave them. She did feel some amount of guilt for Bruce, but it was her life against his. Plus the lives of her close ones. The choice was simple. She was just more adaptive than him. And besides, something told her that a man like Bane, didn't tolerate disobedience. And she was right, those who he found disobedient, were useless to him, which meant that they had their death penalty signed. It was in his nature. He was aggressive and dominant. Everything about this man screamed danger and dominance. His huge body supremacy, his actions, even his posture and gaze. It was somewhat enticing to her.

All these thoughts were consuming her mind as she was making her way back. A big part of her was mentally smacking herself. But she couldn't help it. Even his name made her skin bristle.

"I am out of my damn mind..." she cursed herself while entering her apartment.

"Hey, Sel," her roommate greeted her as her eyes followed her to her room. After she changed her attire, Selina joined Jen on the couch.

"You look pretty deep in thought." She looked at her while scooping a half empty bucket of strawberry ice cream. Selina glanced at her and took the bucket away along with the spoon. "Heyyy!" she pouted as Selina scooped a spoon full of the delicious sweet.

"I'm really not in the mood, Jen." she licked the ice cream. Jen blinked at her confused.

"Wanna talk about it?" She grinned innocently at Selina. She considered her offer for a moment. She couldn't tell her roommate what was going on, that might endanger her somehow. But something inside her kept nagging her to just spill the beans.

"Let's just say that… I've got myself in some trouble." She glanced over at her friend as she ate the spoonful. Jen blinked at her again with curiosity but Selina quickly returned the ice cream to her and got up.

"Um…Can I help somehow?" Her eyes were filled with concern.

"No, but thanks." Selina looked at her and smiled genuinely.

* * *

Bane held his mask. Oh how the great have fallen. He was holding Batman's mask. He couldn't help but smirk smugly under the metal mask. As if his solidity wasn't enough, beating one of the biggest heroes in Gotham, and maybe in the world, sure was an ego-booster. He didn't kill him. No, that would have been far too easy. His whim was to break him. And he did break his body. And now he was about to break his soul.

"Your cling to life and persistence is admirable Mr. Wayne." He spoke through the depths of his mask. "But make no mistake, there will be no mercy for you." He crouched down to the beaten body of his enemy. Bruce was barely awake. Bane looked down upon him and grabbed him by the collar of his broken suit and stood up. He dragged him off to one of the main facilities.

"Prepare the jet Barsad." He threw Bruce's unconscious body like a rag doll on the ground in front of him. Barsad looked down at the man and nodded taking a few men with him.

* * *

That night Selina decided to have some fun, to get her mind off of things for a bit.

"Hey kiddo," She walked over to Jen's room. Her roommate was currently browsing something on her laptop.

"Huh?" She mumbled distracted from what she was doing and didn't even look up from the screen.

"Get yourself dressed, we're going out tonight." Selina smirked leaning on the frame of the door. Jen shot up her head quickly to look at Selina.

"Seriously?" She grinned widely closing her laptop as Selina nodded to her.

"Wear something pretty, we're going to a party." She stepped back from the door and walked back to her room hearing Jen's enthusiastic exclamation. Selina chuckled quietly as she went to her wardrobe to pick out an outfit. She took out a short black skin-tight dress with a strapless sweetheart neckline. She slipped in a pair of black seamed tights and the put on the dress that fit her toned slim body perfectly. She stooped to the lower shelves of her wardrobe and pulled out a sand colored shoe box that had a beautiful white signature on its top that read "Christian Louboutin". She bit her lower lip as she opened the box. She took out the ridiculously expensive black stilettos and put them on. After giving her sleek cocoa brown hair some volume, she proceeded with her signature thick cat eye look and classic bright red lips. She stood in front of the big mirror and examined herself. Something was missing.

"I'm feeling fancy tonight." She smirked as she took out the pouch from her drawer and took the necklace she attempted to steal earlier. She put it around her neck and took out a leather jacket.

"Much better." She smirked with content at her reflection as she walked out of her room to see if Jen was ready.

"Oh you look really hot." Jen grinned at her as she fixed her blonde hair into a tight straight ponytail.

"You're not so shabby yourself." Selina smiled slyly at her as she looked at her. Jen was wearing a skin tight strapless red dress with a nude shade of high heeled pumps. Her makeup was heavy and consisted black smoky eye shadow that emphasized her deep blue eyes and nude lipstick.

"Ready?" Selina asked her and Jen nodded.

"Let me just call a cab." Jen took out her phone but Selina stopped her and shrugged her head.

"No need, we already have transportation." She smirked at the blonde.

"No…way." Jen stood there with her mouth agape. "Where did you get a freaking Lamborghini?"

Selina couldn't help but laugh at her reaction as she unlocked the matte black beauty that was parked in an old warehouse near their house. She wasn't sure if Bruce's car was still there, but to her surprise no one had attempted to steal it yet.

"Get in." She nodded at the car and Jen almost squealed in excitement and immediately got in.

"What happened to you? You were in such a bad mood earlier." Jen laughed while strapping her seat belt.

"Well, I've decided that there's no point in sulking about someone else's problems." She turned on the car and the powerful engine purred out.

* * *

Both girls walked in the private party in one of the most exclusive clubs. Of course partying was not Selina Kyle's primary goal. One of the local snobby girls was turning 18 and rumor had it, her precious daddy was going to give her a gift worth 2 million dollars. Loud music blasted through the whole club filled with rich brats. Selina usually avoided going to clubs. Horny, drunk brats trying to hook up with her was not her definition of fun. But hey, the loud beat sure didn't let her think about the earlier events and she was here to do her thing. Jen on the other hand was in her zone. She immediately blended with the crowd dancing her way in.

Selina headed to the bar and took a seat.

"And what would you like, gorgeous?" The bartender stood across her while wiping a cup.

"Dry martini." She didn't even make an effort to look at him as her eyes searched the room for her target. The bartender glanced at her and moved away to make her the martini as he slipped an extra something in the cup.

"Here ya go." He pushed the drink towards her and she caught it with her hand. She was too concentrated on the girl and took a sip out of the martini.

The girl danced around the lounge where she and her closest friends were settled. There was no doubt that she was stoned on cocaine or something similar. She pulled one of the guys from her table that didn't look any less high than her and lead him to the bathroom.

Selina quickly stood up but almost stumbled and leaned on the bar. She suddenly felt really lightheaded.

"Son of a bitch…" Selina growled lowly glancing at the bartender who entered the storage room. Did she seriously let herself get drugged? She squeezed her eyes shut trying to regain herself as she quickly headed to the exit. She stumped around barely reaching outside, where it was pouring like crazy. Selina took a deep breath faltering to one of the walls of the club as she leaned on it. She sincerely hoped that the rain would help her recover quicker. She was vulnerable. She had to hide herself until she regained control of her body. So she walked slowly to a small dark street near the club and leaned on the wall. Her head was pounding like hell. Her body was burning despite the cold rain that drenched her completely.

"Well, well, well, aren't you a pretty sight." She heard a familiar voice. The bartender. She pushed her eyes open to see him standing in front of her with a slimy smirk.

"Guys like you are the reason girls turn lesbian." She smirked tiredly at him. He clenched his teeth as he pinned her roughly to the wall.

"You've got a pretty big mouth." He snatched her jaw and turned her head to look at him. She narrowed her eyes at him as she stomped on his foot as hard as she could with her thin heel.

"Argh! Bitch!" He hissed out and swung his hand to slap her. Selina shut her eyes and clenched her teeth expecting the blow but it never came. She opened her eyes and rose her brows in surprise. The man was snatched off of her and slammed on the opposite wall by a tall bulky figure whose back was now facing Selina. Was she hallucinating? Was that actually Bane?

He slammed the bartender against the brick wall again as he cried out. Bane looked at him with wide eyes full of rage as he continued slamming him against the wall holding him by the neck, until the final blow eventually crushed the back of his head. Blood scattered everywhere. And Bane was covered with it, his hands, his chest and his mask. He dropped him on the ground.

Raindrops mixed with blood and ran down all over his muscled body as he slowly turned back to face Selina. At that moment her vision became blurry and she faltered towards him. He took her in his arms and lifted her from her feet. Her eyes were half-closed locking her tired gaze on his. He glanced down at her as she leaned her head tiredly on his chest loosing conscience.

* * *

 **I try to update as regularly as I can, I know how annoying it is to wait for something in** **suspense. (And I always find the motivation to write at 2 am when I have to get up at 7 am for my lectures haha.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **I apologize for taking so long, I had a busy schedule this week, lots of finals and a lot of projects. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and as always, please review, I appreciate the feedback and it always motivates me to write faster! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Four

Her head was pounding. Her stomach was aching and her body felt so heavy. She couldn't really recall what had happened. But she felt something soft underneath her and above her. Whatever happened she must have found a way to get back home and in her comfortable bed. She slowly opened her weary eyes. Her vision was still slightly blurry but she could see a familiar scene. Her bed, her nightstand, the window near her bed with its curtains completely shut, and a tall glass of cold water on the nightstand with a couple of pills next to it. Her throat felt so sore. She lightly rose up, supporting her weight on her elbow and reached for the pills. She took them and drank the water eagerly.

"Don't drink so fast." She suddenly froze. That was definitely not Jen's voice. She slowly turned to the other side and saw him.

"How long have you been standing there?" She swallowed dryly. Her voice was kind of hoarse.

He didn't answer her. He was sitting on her couch with a book in his lap staring at her. Bits and pieces slowly came to Selina's mind. His t-shirt was still covered in blood stains but it was already dry. She on the other hand wasn't with the clothes she wore last night. She was in her large t-shirt.

"How did you know where I live?" Now that she was slightly more awake, questions started rushing to her head. Furthermore, he changed her clothes. And she was dry.

"I have my resources." He leaned down while his arms rested on his knees.

Selina gazed at him for a moment then sat up and got out of bed slowly, careful not to stumble around. She walked over to the bathroom mirror. Oh that was not a pretty sight. Thank god for waterproof make up but it was still slightly smeared under her eyes making her look even more tired than she was. She wiped it off and washed her face and teeth and got back in her room to see Bane up on his feet ready to leave.

"You know, I could've had him if I wasn't wearing high heels." She crossed her arms looking up at him.

"You always wear high heels." He retorted and his eyes lit up with a playful tease. Oh she knew he was smirking under that mask. He then turned to leave but she interrupted him.

"Bane," he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. "Thank you." She mumbled it out slightly. It took a lot of pride to say that but he could see the sincerity in her eyes. He gave her a light nod and turned again.

"I expect you in two days, after midnight." He left her room.

* * *

"Sel, you okay?" Jen gazed at her friend while they were sitting at the table and having breakfast.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She slightly nodded while staring at her half eaten plate of spaghetti. She wasn't lying, she was alright, she felt well-rested and her head was a bit clearer. But she was deep in thought. This man did not want to leave her mind. Why did he protect her? Why did he seem so angry? And how on earth did he even know where she was? So many questions roamed her mind. And that many assumptions came to her.

"So, who was that big scary dude? Please don't tell me he's your boyfriend." Jen made a grimace while sucking in a piece of spaghetti.

"Don't even joke about that." Selina rolled her eyes.

"Then, who is he to you?" Jen giggled at her irritation.

"He's…" Selina didn't really know the answer to that. He wasn't an enemy, well at least not yet. And it was kind of hard to call him a friend. "An acquaintance. A complicated one." She took a sip of the cold juice.

"Oh…Ooooooh!" - The blonde got the hint. Selina wasn't going to talk about it. But Jen wasn't all that clueless.

It was an interesting sight she stumbled upon last night. As drunk as she was she noticed the front door was unlocked. And she knew that Selina never left the door unlocked, so she suspected that a thief had broken in to their apartment. It was dark, maybe whoever had broken in got what he needed and left. It was a soothing assumption but Jen didn't want to take any chances. She turned on the lights in the hall and saw wet and muddy footsteps on the ground. Big ones too. That was definitely not Selina. Anxiety took over the blonde as she reached over to the coat rack and took the metal baseball bat that was propped there. She quietly stepped towards Selina's room where she could hear silent noise. She gulped and slowly pushed open the door. She saw a large man, whose back was facing her, taking off Selina's dress. They were both drenched and he had blood on his body. And Selina was unconscious.

"Get off of her!"- Jen screamed and lashed the bat to his back. It was so quick. She thought she even missed it. He had turned around and caught the bat with his large hand. He narrowed his eyes at her in a glare.

"Good, you're here, change her clothes." - He spoke calmly and carefully set the unconscious girl in his arm on the bed. He pulled the bat away from her hands and sat on the couch.

"Wha-?" - She lifted a brow in complete confusion and he shot her another glare. Something told her that she shouldn't mess with him. Maybe it was the mask. And he didn't seem to hurt Selina so she took off her friend's shoes and stopped and turned to the large man and made a signal with her hand for him to leave.

"What?"- He demanded lifting a brow at her.

"I'm not going to take her lingerie off in front of you." She crossed her hands. He only rolled his eyes and stood up to leave the room. Jen took the rest of her wet clothes off and changed her in dry ones. Dry lingerie, dry t-shirt and she tucked her in nicely in her warm covers. Jen took notice that Selina didn't have any marks on her body, nothing gave out any hints that she might have been forcefully knocked out. Maybe she got really drunk and passed out and that man was another strange friend of hers who helped her get home safely. Even if that was true, Jen didn't trust him. She got some pills out of the drawer and put them on her nightstand, then left the room to pour her a glass of water. By the time she got back, she saw the man sitting on Selina's couch and reading one of her books that looked very old and had a black leather cover with no title. Jen left Selina the cold glass of water and left the room.

* * *

When Bruce opened his eyes, he never felt such pain and weakness in his entire life. Excruciating ache and extreme weakness had taken over his whole body.

"Why didn't you just... kill me?"- He spoke silently, barely closing his eyes again.

"You don't fear death... You welcome it. Your punishment must be more severe." - His voice was low and calm it sounded so affable even through the mechanic melody that accompanied his tone.

"Torture..?"- Bruce's voice became a tired whisper.

"Home, where I learned the truth about despair, as will you. There's a reason why this prison is the worst hell on earth... Hope. Every man who has ventured here over the centuries has looked up to the light and imagined climbing to freedom. So easy... So simple..." Bane stood up and gazed above at the light. "And like shipwrecked men turning to sea water from uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope. So, as I terrorize Gotham, I will feed its people hope to poison their souls. I will let them believe they can survive so that you can watch them clamoring over each other to "stay in the sun." You can watch me torture an entire city," He sat down and calmly glanced at the television near the bars "and when you have truly understood the depth of your failure, we will fulfill Ra's al Ghul's destiny... We will destroy Gotham and then, when it is done and Gotham is ashes," he paused and looked back at Bruce as his voice deepened "then you have my permission to die." He put his hand on Bruce's chest and pushed it making him cry out in pain gripping his chest as Bane stood up and took his leave.

* * *

 **I'll try to update more regularly now that my finals are almost done.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **Well, I finally finished my finals and I finally have more time to update a bit more regularly. But I'm still kind of in the mist on whether my readers like where this story is going or not. That's why I always request for more feedback. As always constructive criticism and suggestions are welcomed.**

* * *

Chapter Five

Everybody wants to rule the world. No man could truly call himself selfless. One's actions are always based on self-profit. Secretly or openly, consciously or subconsciously. But some are more ambitious, have more resources and are more fixed to the idea. But Bane wasn't selfish. He wanted to purify the world. Or at least Thalia did. And he believed in her concept. He was doing it for someone else. But that still counted as selfishness. He was doing it for her benefit. Or was it for his? Thalia was one of the only people on this world who he could call a friend. And he loved her, like his own child. He practically raised her. She was not a child anymore. But he still felt obliged to protect her and her ideals. He always wanted to make her happy. But her life never gave him the opportunity to see her like that. He hoped that this would make her happy. A part of him wanted to believe that he was causing all of this radical destruction due to her wish. But he knew better. All of this brought him self-satisfaction. It was sadistic, but he enjoyed the power he held. It was only human to give in to such dark desires. Temptation was never a weakness for him. Half of his life went by as temptation for freedom. It was just in his dominant nature. Ruling over so many. Creating so much chaos, toying with so many people. It takes a certain kind of skills to do that and brute force was not one of them. One of the many reasons he was so underestimated was because everyone thought that he bet everything on brute force. And they learned the hard way that there was more to him than physical supremacy. His intellect was unmatched. He was a keen strategist and he didn't need brute force to crush someone. But that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy inflicting it.

He sat in his room with his back facing the door. His enormous body was bent forward and it was tense. He held the steel mask in his hand glazing down at it. His jaw was painfully clenched. Dark memories consumed his sharp mind. He closed his eyes for a moment as they quivered. Then he put the mask back on. He opened his eyes again and looked up at the clock. A quarter to midnight.

* * *

Selina stepped confidently into the sewers. She passed a couple of Bane's men who held major gear and stepped in her way her.

"Back off boys, don't wanna piss off the big guy." She smirked as the men exchanged a couple of gazes and then laughed loudly.

"Really? And that's coming from a stray cat?" One of them spoke with a sleazy smirk.

"Come here kitty, let's play." The other one laughed and dropped his weapon popping his knuckles.

"Oh, no please! I'm so scared!" She dissed him with a sarcastic tone as he lunged at her. She quickly moved and bend low throwing her leg up right to his face giving him a decent kick with the metal heel of her boot. The man grunted stumbling aback while covering his bleeding nose. The other man lifted a brow and pointed his gun at her but the weapon was quickly pulled back from him by the long whip that was wrapped on the gun. The quick movement didn't give him the time to react and pull back as the weapon fell on the floor.

"I don't need that." He looked back at the woman who pulled the whip back as she smirked at him.

"Come at me pretty boy." She teased and he lunged at her but quickly jumped back as if he was nipped by fire. She had whipped his hip so hard that the clothing had ripped. He grunted as he stalked her. She chuckled as she lured him in with her index finger. He narrowed his eyes at her and lunged again but this time he caught the whip and pulled her in. She stumbled ahead as he grasped her hard.

"Enough games," The man froze as he heard the metallic voice. Selina only gave the man an "Ohh, you're in so much trouble" look and giggled quietly. "Be thankful, Sal, I am saving you the humiliation." The man only nodded with his jaw tightened as he let go of Selina. "And you," Bane turned to the other one who was wiping the blood from his nose. He quickly looked up at Bane. "She broke your nose and you're out of the fight?" He walked over to him and grabbed him by the head and swiftly smashed it in the brick wall. Selina flinched at the bloody sight. He was so brutal. "You're useless." The other man, Sal, shuddered and took his weapon and stood back to his guarding point. Bane let go of the lifeless body and took out a rag and wiped the blood from his hands as he turned to Selina. "Now, Miss Kyle, let me escort you ahead." He gestured for her to walk with him.

They walked through the dim moist tunnels. Bane had gone ahead in front of her. She walked behind him. She couldn't help not to admire his great physic. That large back of his, every muscle was budging and most of his veins were prominent. It was a really nice sight.

He walked ahead to his room. It was also very dim. Probably because there was no outside source of light and there was only one light bulb in the entire room. Not that it was very large, but not too small either. It was consisted of a medium sized bed, a desk with a lot of scattered blue prints and piled books and a small reading lamp. There was also a door that probably lead to the bathroom. Simple, somewhat frugal and practical.

"You're position throughout the years has been quite clear miss Kyle." He turned to her as they entered. "Yet, I do feel obliged to give you a choice, since you successfully delivered to me one of the biggest obstacles to my plans." He tied his hands behind his back and looked down to her.'"

"What kind of a choice?" She glanced up at him. He was abbreviating the distance between them again. His eyes gave away only calmness.

"You can stay and help me accomplish my liability," he stopped a couple of inched away from her not straying even a glance from her and neither did she from him. He was doing it again. Penetrating her personal space, not really giving her the room to choose. "And then have the opportunity to leave this city and start fresh." Her eyes suddenly lit up. Was he bluffing or was he serious? "Or you can die, here and now." He suddenly inched closer and pushed his hand on the wall behind her pinning her between his large warm body and the cold hard wall. She flinched at the quick movement and statement. What kind of a choice was that? Although she should have suspected. Everything sounded so unrealistically generous at first. He was so compulsive. He knew how to press her and he knew she was a fighter that she would never choose to die. So was there much of a choice to make?

"I think you already know the answer to that." She looked at him unwavering, expecting him to get off of her. He didn't.

"I want to hear it from you." He demanded lowering his face to hers, she could feel the oxygen escaping from his metal mask and she could see that his dark eyes were actually hazel. Handsome, yet so dangerous. And the way he said it send shivers running through her back.

"I'm going to stay with you." Oh that came out wrong. She meant she was going to fight with him, along with him. The way she said it, made his usual indifferent calmness crack. She swore she saw a glimmer in those dark hazel eyes. And then he pulled away from her and straightened his back in his usual self-confident posture with his hands crossed in front of his massive chest.

"Good." His tone was so much lighter and somewhat satisfied. "Then I have a job for you." The skin around his eyes wrinkled in to what Selina could assume a grin.


End file.
